


The Present

by toxic_corn



Category: Firefly
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood Sweethearts, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-14 02:23:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9153319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxic_corn/pseuds/toxic_corn
Summary: A mysterious package from Jayne's past will change the course of his future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> An AU. :D Everything is pretty much the same except River and Simon aren't on board the ship.

Jayne shifted the sack of supplies to his other shoulder as he made his way through the mob of people in the crowded space station. He was feeling pretty good; on account of his size he'd gotten an even bigger Intimidating Bastard discount than usual and that could be one less thing for Mal to get all tetchy about. Since Badger had dicked them out of their share after that job with the derelict, their fearful leader had been working twice as hard to get them jobs and the strain of it was making him a regular thorn in Jayne's firm backside.

 

"Heya, Jayne!" Kaylee bounced up beside him. "All the hubbub sure is excitin' ain't it?"

 

"Yeah, I'm 'bout ready ta wet myself," Jayne muttered, earning him a playful swat on the arm.

 

"Cheer up, I bet Cap'n and Zoe's contacts came through for us. 'fore ya know it, we'll be rollin' in coin."

 

"I'll kick up m' heels 'n dance once I see that coin, li'l Kaylee." Jayne spared her a glance as they continued on. Damn girl would try to find the bright side of anything. How could a body stand to be that cheerful _all_ the time? She had to wanna punch something sometime, right?

 

"That'd be a sight to see. Are we talking a jig or just awkward flailing?" Jayne glared over his shoulder at Wash, who'd popped up behind them unnoticed.

 

"Don't start with me, little man," Jayne warned.

 

Wash didn't look too concerned, damn his eyes. "It's getting close to rendezvous time. You two headed back to the ship?"

 

"Uh huh," Kaylee affirmed. "Wash, you think Cap'n and Zoe got us a job, right?"

 

Jayne and Wash shared a look. "Sure. It'll be fine."

 

A few minutes later, they were walking up the ramp to find Inara and the Shepherd already on the ship waiting for them. The two paused in mid-conversation for greetings and pleasantries.

 

"I got these for you, sweetie," Inara said, holding out a package of hairclips to Kaylee.

 

"Oh, they're so shiny! Thanks, Inara." Kaylee accepted the gift happily, making the Companion smile.

 

"Didja get me anything?" Jayne asked, hopefully.

 

Inara raised an eyebrow at him. "I bought a crate of apples for everyone. In your deluded mind, you can pretend I meant them exclusively for you."

 

"Well, I'll take it."

 

"Hey, you're back!" Kaylee called and they all turned to see Mal and Zoe striding up the ramp, their poker faces on. "Any good news?"

 

"'Fraid not, Kaylee," Mal said. "Think you can get to the engine room? The sooner we leave, the sooner we might find some work."

 

Looking disappointed, the girl went. Everyone else stood there taking in the news.

 

"Your business arrangement fell through?" the shepherd asked politely.

 

"Something like that," Mal said curtly. "Wash, I need you on the bridge. Everybody just... go and do whatever it is you do."

 

"Excuse me!" A gent in a brown uniform stood on the ramp, clutching a clipboard. "I got a delivery for a Jayne Cobb? Is that one of you ladies?"

 

Jayne scowled and stepped forward. "That'd be me."

 

The man raised an eyebrow. "Got an envelope and a box for you, Mr. Cobb. Could you sign this, please?"

 

"You expectin' something?" Mal asked as Jayne went to sign the forms. A man on a dolly/truck brought a large, metal box on board. "Don't tell me you went and ordered more pieces for that arsenal of yours."

 

"Might have," Jayne muttered. He accepted the bulky brown envelope the man gave him and frowned when the guy tipped his hat to him.

 

"Have a good day, Mr. Cobb. Hope you enjoy your post." He hopped onto the dolly/truck and the two deliverymen rode off. Jayne hit the button closing up the ramp and airlock.

 

"You don't got the money to be orderin' anything this fancy," Mal said, eyes narrowing. "Where'd you get it?"

 

"Hell, Mal, I only ordered one gun, I don't know what this is all about. Maybe they made a mistake." Jayne opened up the envelope, wondering if there was an explanation inside. He found a folded up piece of paper, a syringe with a pack of needles, and some vials of clear liquid. Yeah, that cleared everything right the hell up. He skimmed the paper. "Says I can only open it when all the little bar thingies on the tiny screen is green and level."

 

The others crowded around the box and Mal found the screen in question. "Green and level. You gonna open it up?"

 

"Suppose so." Jayne stuffed the envelope under his arm and nudged the shepherd out of the way. After a moment of fumbling, he found the little lever and lifted the lid.

 

Everyone peered inside and gasped.

 

"Jayne," Mal said tightly. "You'd better explain and you'd better explain right quick."

 

Inside, curled up in a fetal position was an unconscious teenage girl. A _naked_ unconscious teenage girl. Jayne stopped admiring her bare flesh a moment to look at her face and his jaw dropped.

 

" _Jayne_ ," Mal repeated.

 

"It- it's not ruttin' possible," Jayne whispered. "She can't..."

 

The girl stirred and then suddenly popped up with a scream of alarm. Her wide eyes looked wildly around, not seeming to make sense of anything she saw.

 

"It's okay, River, you're fine," Jayne said, quickly, reaching out to her. He blanched when she recoiled, crying. "Hey, hey, hey. C'mon now. It's me; Jayne. Dontcha remember your Jayne?" He crouched down and this time when he touched her she stayed in place, tears rolling down her cheeks.

 

"Not real," she croaked, shivering. "Was away. Dark. Sharp. You call and call but they're never the right words!"

 

"Shhh." Jayne shucked off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. "C'mon now, apple blossom."

 

The endearment worked to calm her down a little. "Lost words."

 

"Yeah," he agreed, not knowing what the hell she was talking about. He picked up the envelope from where he'd discarded it, unfolding the note again to see the next instructions. He had to give her an injection from one of the little bottles, apparently.

 

"Jayne, if you don't explain in _two seconds_ so help me-" Mal paused in mid-threat when Jayne turned his face towards him and he saw the bleak look in the merc's eyes.

 

"This here," Jayne said quietly, "is River Tam."

 

"Oh." Mal absorbed that, nodding. "Who?"

 


	2. Chapter 2

_"Hey, get the hell back here, Cobb!"_

_"We ain't finished with you, yet!"_

_Sobbing, Jayne stumbled through the brush, raising one arm to keep tree branches from poking his eyes out. The sounds of the bigger boys' voices were starting to fade the further he got in to the woods. Why'd his Ma have to give him a girl's name, anyway? She'd said he'd grow into it but a name wasn't supposed to be like a pair of pants; it was supposed to be your_ name.

 

_Jayne stopped running when he reached a clearing near a little stream. Gratefully, he sank down under one of the trees and cried tiredly into his hands._

_"Don't cry."_

_Terrified that the bullies had followed him, Jayne spun around and held up his fists. The little girl who had come up behind him stumbled back a few paces, wide eyed. She looked kind of familiar, long curly dark hair pulled back with a black velvet ribbon, her big brown eyes wide with alarm._

_"Who the hell're you?" Jayne growled._

_"I'm River Tam," the girl said tentatively. "I'm in your class."_

_He looked her over and snorted. "Yeah? How'd you get into third grade when you look like you're my brother's age? He's five."_

_"I'm six. They put me up two grades because I'm very smart." She took a hesitant step forward. "Those boys shouldn't be allowed to make you cry."_

_"I wasn't cryin'," he snapped, wiping angrily at the tears still trickling down his cheeks. "Mind your own beeswax, girl!"_

_"My name's River," she replied with a frown. She reached into the pocket of her black and white checked skirt and pulled out a little hankie. "Would you like to use this? It's a little damp because I had need of it myself today."_

_Jayne looked at the hankie disgustedly but his nose was dripping so he accepted it, noting the_ RT _stitched into the fabric with pale pink thread. He blew his nose soundly and handed the handkerchief back, feeling a spark of admiration when she folded it up and put it back into her pocket without making any prissy faces. Most girls got all bent out of shape over a bit of snot._

_"Why'd you need your hankerchee?" Jayne asked curiously._

_River tugged on one of her curls, inspecting the ends to avoid looking at him. "The girls were mean to me."_

_"Why?" Jayne looked her over, baffled. She looked like a normal girl, wore pretty clothes, and seemed nice enough._

_"I'm strange," River said softly. "My intelligence makes it difficult for me to relate to my peers and no one knows what to make of me. I'm afraid that I'm terribly awkward, socially."_

_"I don't know what most of that means," Jayne said, confused._

_River's face crumbled. "I'm doing it_ again _!"_

_"Hey, now!" Alarmed, Jayne jumped up and stood by her side. He hadn't meant to make her cry. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean t' upset ya, River." He awkwardly patted her on the back. "I'll try not to do it again."_

_She hiccoughed out a laugh. "You're not the one upsetting me. It's my own fault."_

_"If you say so. 'm still sorry, though." Jayne looked around, trying to find a way to cheer her up. "I can walk on my hands."_

_"Can you?"_

_"Uh huh. Watch." He moved off a few feet, planted his hands on the ground and kicked his legs up so they were over his head and started walking along carefully on his hands. "Lookit me, I could join the circus!"_

_River giggled, making him grin. Her laughter made him cocky and he tried walking faster but ended up overbalancing and falling over._

_"Are you okay?" She ran to him, looking concerned._

_Jayne folded his hand on his stomach and shrugged nonchalantly, though a rock was gouging into his back something awful. "'m fine."_

_"Well, that was very impressive, maybe one day you can teach me." River tilted her head to the side. "What's your name?"_

_A dark look crossed Jayne's face. "I don't want you to start in on me, too."_

_"I won't make fun of you!" River exclaimed. "You have my word as a Tam that I will not even so much as smile."_

_"It's Jayne Cobb," he muttered and looked up at her through the unruly curls hanging in his eyes._

_"Jayne," she repeated, as if testing it out. "I like it. It's unique. Did you say 'Cobb?'"_

_He stared at her in amazement. She hadn't even blinked. "Yeah, I'm a Cobb."_

_"Is your father Elijah Cobb?"_

_"That's Pa, yeah."_

_"I've met him!" River smiled brightly. "My father bought the factory he works at. I had to visit there last week and Daddy left me on my own and I was terribly lonely. Your father saw me and made me an origami bird. 'A present for the little lady,' he said. I like him."_

_Jayne grinned. "He makes lotsa other stuff out of paper, too."_

_"Does he?" River smiled brightly. "I'd like him to teach me."_

_"Maybe you could come over some time and he can," Jayne suggested, shrugging._

_"Maybe," River agreed. "Do you need help getting up?"_

_"Naw, I'm fine." Jayne rose to his feet. "Whaddya wanna do now, River? Do ya gotta be goin' home now?"_

_"No." She shook her head. "Would you like to play?"_

_"Sure. Here, we can play hacky with this pinecone here, you know how to play?"_

_River frowned at the pinecone. "I'm not very good at physical games."_

_"Oh." He dropped the pinecone. "What, then?"_

_"Could we play pretend?"_

_Jayne rolled his eyes. "I ain't playin' house with you."_

_"I don't play house!" River huffed, offended. "I play really fun games with Simon all the time!"_

_"Who's Simon?"_

_"My big brother."_

_"Simon... Oh, Simon Tam!" Jayne snapped his fingers. "I saw him in church! He's that prissy kid in the vest that- Hey, where ya goin'?"_

_Rage had flared up in River's eyes and she'd started to march away. "If you're going to make fun of my brother, I don't wish to play with you."_

_"I wasn't makin' fun!" Jayne protested. "I was just sayin' that... hey, c'mon, I thought we were friends!"_

_"Not if you're going to be mean to my brother," she said, stubbornly. "He takes care of me, like a third parent. Only... don't tell anyone, all right?" She stepped closer to him and whispered in his ear as if there were spies in the woods. "I like him better than our parents."_

_"I won't tell no one," Jayne promised. "So what pretend game do ya wanna play?"_

_River gave him a look. "Are you going to tease Simon?"_

_"No, I won't. Now what game? It's gonna get dark soon, ya know."_

_"Hmm." She thought about it a moment. "How about we search for the holy grail?"_

_"Why would we do that?" Jayne asked._

_"Because that's the game," River said, patiently._

_"Oh. Well... okay. What do we do?"_

_River picked up a stick off the ground. "Here's your sword. Just follow my lead."_

_Swords? Sounded like a fun enough game. And it was. River and Jayne ran all over the clearing for two hours, battling enemy armies, dragons, evil fairies, and trolls on their quest for the holy grail._

_In the middle of taming a wild unicorn, River pushed up the sleeve of her white blouse to look at her wrist watch. "Ohhh, it's late. I have to go home for dinner, Jayne."_

_Jayne paused and looked up at the sky. The sun had dipped lower on the horizon, unnoticed. His stomach rumbled but he still felt reluctant to leave the game behind._

_"Uh, could we play here again tomorrow?" Jayne asked, feeling almost shy._

_River smiled at him and nodded. "Yes. I'd like that."_

_"Me, too." Jayne stuffed his hands in his pockets. "So, uh, after school, do you wanna meet me out here or should we walk out together?"_

_"If you're embarrassed to be seen with me, I understand," River said, worrying the hem of her skirt. "It's fine if we meet out here."_

_"Oh! No, I just meant... that maybe you shouldn't be seen with_ me _in case those guys that gave me a hard time start in on you, too."_

_"They don't scare me," River said, sticking out her chin._

_Jayne grinned. "Naw, they wouldn't, would they? C'mon, I'll walk ya out of here." He parted the branches for her and they tromped through the woods in silence until they emerged from the tangle of growth, standing in the grassy lawn next to their school._

_"Well, see ya," Jayne said, shuffling homewards._

_"See you tomorrow, Jayne. Thank you for playing with me!" River dashed off, worried about being late for dinner._

_Jayne made it two steps before he turned to watch her go._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew's got some questions.

"But... I don't get it." Kaylee frowned. "If she's Jayne's childhood sweetie, how come she's...."

 

"Half his age?" Wash supplied, not concerned with being diplomatic.

 

"It just don't seem possible," Kaylee said apologetically when Jayne glared over his shoulder at them.

 

After Jayne had calmed River down, he'd scooped her up out of the box and taken her into the infirmary. She'd kicked up a fuss something awful, clawing at him and screaming but he'd managed to get her inside. Kaylee had given the girl some of her extra clothes so now she was dressed, but she refused to give up Jayne's jacket.

 

Mal stood in the middle of the infirmary, arms folded. "Probably because it isn't. Jayne, _who is this girl_?"

 

"I told ya," Jayne snarled. "She's River Tam. I grew up with her on Pomona."

 

"Jayne, this girl ain't much more than sixteen," Mal snapped, pointing at River. She recoiled, frightened by the gesture.

 

Jayne rose up, face dangerously dark. "You quit pointin' at her like that. Right the hell now."

 

Looking guilty, Mal lowered his hand. "Don't you get how impossible that is, Jayne? How do you know she ain't River's daughter? Maybe even yours, too?"

 

"Because this is _her_." He turned to her. "Tell 'em your name, apple blossom."

 

"Wasn't real," she responded. "Numbers, no words, just dark."

 

Frustrated, Jayne cupped her chin. " _Please_ , pretty girl. They don't think you were ever mine. Tell 'em."

 

"Jayne, stop it," Inara snapped. "Is there any other way we could determine if this is the girl you remember?"

 

Mal turned to her in amazement. "You're actually gonna indulge this nonsense?"

 

"Stranger things have happened," Inara murmured softly.

 

Jayne thought for a long moment before his face brightened. "She's got a birth mark, high up on her inner left thigh. Looks kinda like a J." Mal moved close and Jayne bristled. "Get the hell away from her!"

 

"I'll check," Kaylee volunteered. She left her place hovering in the doorway and came forward. Jayne relaxed and backed down from the protective stance he'd taken. Gently, she placed her hand on River's knee. "I'm just gonna look real quick, sweetie, don't be embarrassed, okay?"

 

River simply looked at her and Kaylee stared hard at the men until they all politely turned their backs, even Jayne, who turned with a disgusted snort. Then she gently eased River's knees apart and looked for the birthmark.

 

"There it is," Kaylee whispered. She pressed River's knees back together. "Hi there, River."

 

" _That ain't the girl Jayne knew_!" Mal exploded. "It... it don't make any gorramn sense at all!"

 

Kaylee flinched but stuck her chin out. "She's got the mark and she goes all calm when she's around Jayne. It's her, Cap'n."

 

Wash popped back into the room, having left unnoticed. "I was looking at that box she came in. I think it's a cryogenic chamber."

 

"A what?" Jayne frowned and stepped closer to River when she started making soft whimpering noises.

 

"It suspends all bodily functions, growth, or aging while keeping the person alive." Wash looked uneasily from River to Mal. "She may have been in there a long time."

 

"Why would somebody do that?" Kaylee asked.

 

"And how?" Inara looked puzzled.

 

Wash held his hands up in the air. "Don't ask me, I'm not an expert. I didn't even know someone could survive cryogenic freezing longer than a few months. River here would've had to have been frozen nearly twenty years."

 

"Well, who sent her then?" Mal asked, giving up and grudgingly accepting that the frightened young woman huddled on the counter was River Tam.

 

Jayne looked at the envelope. "No return address. If we're all through waggin' our jaws, can I give her the meds now?" Without waiting for a response, Jayne consulted the note and checked to see which vial's contents he had to inject her with. "Don't uh... don't rightly know how to do this sort of thing..."

 

Zoe stepped forward. "Here. I'll do it, Jayne."

 

Gratefully, Jayne stepped aside and handed Zoe the items. When River started whimpering again, he grabbed her hand. "It's okay, apple blossom. Hurts for a second and then it's all done."

 

"No!" she cried, ripping away from him. He watched in stunned surprise as she slid off the counter and tried to run from the room, only to be gently caught by the shepherd.

 

"Child, we're only trying to help you," he said, holding on to her struggling form.

 

"No! Hurts and promises and lies! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Simon! _Simon_!!" She thrashed, screaming and crying.

 

"River, stop it!" Mal shouted. "Zoe, give her the shot."

 

Kaylee looked horrified. "But Cap'n, she's-"

 

"I bet that medicine's supposed to calm her down when she goes all wooly. Probably a side effect or something from the freezing, right Wash?"

 

Wash gave him a look. "Didn't I say I'm not an expert?"

 

The shepherd and Mal got Jayne's coat off of River as she kept trying to break away and held her down for Zoe to give her the injection in her arm. She'd calmed down a little and held still as the needle went into her arm, but she pouted and stuck her tongue out at it.

 

"Okay." Mal released her, leaving her to rest on the examining chair. "I'm guessing she'll sleep in awhile. Kaylee, could you set up one of the guest dorms for her?"

 

Still shaken by what she'd seen, Kaylee just nodded and stumbled from the room.

 

"The poor thing," Inara said, softly. She crossed the room to stand by River, stroking the girl's hair. "Whatever she's been through, it must have been horrible."

 

"Yeah, I doubt anyone waking up from being stuffed in a frozen box would be a ray of sunshine." Wash cracked a weak half smile.

 

"When was the last time you saw this girl, Jayne?" Mal turned and was surprised to see the merc was gone. "Where did he go?"

~*~

Jayne sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall. River Tam had been the brightest, most brilliant girl in the entire 'verse. Now she was that shrieking, flailing wreck down in the infirmary and damn it all to ruttin' hell if that wasn't the most unfair circumstance he'd ever had the misfortune to witness.

 

When she disappeared from his life, he figured she'd found someone else. Someone smarter and richer. That stuff had never mattered to River before, but people changed. Sometimes, he would think about her and he always pictured her married to the smart rich fella, working as a fancy scientist on Osiris, and living in a big ol' mansion raising two kids. That thought had always hurt him but in recent years he'd gotten numb to it. Now he knew that that wasn't what happened and rage was making his hands shake. That possible future for her had hurt him but at least she would've been safe, happy.

 

Not bathshit crazy spouting nonsense and lashing out at them that's just tryin' to help her, including him who'd loved her above all else in the _entire fucking verse_!!

 

With a roar, Jayne jumped up and started throwing anything he could get his hands on.


	4. Chapter 4

_Jayne rested his back against his favorite tree and stared up at the sky, perfectly content. River had been helping him study for their big science test all week and today he'd taken it and gotten a B+ back. Mr. Ewing had damn near fallen over in shock. Old bastard was probably disappointed he'd seated River way the hell across the room so he couldn't accuse the two of them of cheating._

_River had been so proud of his grade she'd announced they were going to have a celebration picnic in their spot. His belly gurgled at the thought. The Tam family cook was almost as good as his Ma. Well, around River, he admitted that Kat was better just to avoid a fight but everyone in the county knew that Radiant Cobb made the best damn potato salad in all creation._

_The bushes nearby rustled and River emerged, grinning and lugging a basket nearly as big as she was._

_"Hot damn, ya need some help with that?" Jayne jumped up and rushed over, taking the basket._

_"Thank you. A few stray dogs followed me for a block or two and I started to get nervous." River took the blanket she had folded over her shoulder and shook it out._

_"Yeah, don't want no mutts eatin' my victory feast." He grinned at her and waited impatiently for her to spread the blanket on the ground. "Got all my favorites?"_

_"Of course. Kat informed me she wasn't running a restaurant but I could tell she enjoyed making everything." River sat down, curling her legs up daintily. "Well? Are you going to sit down?"_

_These days, neither of them had much time for playing in their spot. Big tests determining what classes they were going to go into next year were coming up. Normally, Jayne didn't care about that kind of thing but River took it seriously and spent a lot of her time studying. And what's a guy supposed to do without his best friend? He'd been studying some, but he just wasn't as smart as River, despite what she said in protest._

_So he was kind of taking a moment to just look at her in these well-loved surroundings. Same old Riv, overly serious but then she could surprise you with a well-timed silly comment that revealed that she really was just eight years old._

_When he realized he was gawking at her, he quickly sat down and watched eagerly as she pulled out wax-paper wrapped sandwiches full of thick slices of ham and cheese, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, apple pie... Jayne salivated over each revealed item._

_River helped herself to one of the turkey sandwiches she preferred and nibbled at it politely. "Go ahead, Jayne."_

_"I don't know where to start," he said honestly._

_She picked up one of the ham sandwiches and handed it to him. "Start here."_

_He grinned and accepted it, taking a big bite. As he chewed, he considered River. She was younger than him, yes, but there was no denying she was pretty. Today she had her hair in braids and Jayne wasn't sure he liked that much. Or her navy blue sweater and usual checked skirt. But he could overlook that kind of thing when she smiled at him, which she was doing now._

_"What?" she asked._

_"You ever been kissed yet, River?" Jayne asked before he could stop himself._

_Her eyes widened in surprise. "You know I haven't!"_

_"I do?" he asked, puzzled._

_"You're my best friend," she said, softly. "If I had been kissed, you'd be the first to know."_

_That made him grin. "So you ain't been kissed?"_

_"I have not, no."_

_He considered that a moment and then nodded, setting his sandwich aside. "Right then. Best get on that."_

_"I beg your pardon?" River's eyes were the size of dinner plates._

_"You ain't been kissed yet and I'm gonna be the one ta do the honors. Now come here."_

_"No!" Her round apple cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. "You're..."_

_"What?" Jayne said, starting to feel nervous. Didn't she wanna kiss him?_

_"I don't know," she said, miserably. "Have you ever been kissed before?"_

_"Sure I have," he lied. When she gave him a look, he ducked his head. "Well, okay, no. But you've been able to teach me so much this year, I thought maybe we could learn this bit together."_

_River bit her lip. "So this would be for educational purposes?"_

_He jumped on that. "Right. Educational."_

_She took a deep breath and set her own sandwich aside. "All right." Nervously, she wiped her hands on her skirt. "How do we...?"_

_"Close your eyes and lean forward," Jayne instructed her. "I'll meet ya halfway."_

_"This isn't a trick, is it?" River asked, warily. "Like when you told me to open my mouth for a surprise and you put a dirt clod in it?"_

_"That was forever ago!" Jayne said, defensively. "Are you gonna kiss me or not?!"_

_For a second, it looked like she was going to say "or not" but she closed her eyes and leaned forward. Jayne took a second to clear his throat which had suddenly gone dry, and inched close to her, lowering his head to hers._

_His breath was coming fast and excited though he tried to control it. Maybe he should've brought some breath mints along? Hell, he hadn't planned on this; it'd just happened. He paused a centimeter from her mouth._ I'm about to kiss River Tam. __

_Heart pounding, he pressed his lips to hers._ So soft. _Without realizing it, one his hands rose up to cup her soft, velvety cheek. She made a little noise in the back of her throat and started to kiss him back. For some reason, Jayne felt like he wanted to cry which was confusing since he wasn't sad. He was probably the happiest he'd ever been._

_They broke apart at the same time and Jayne sank back on his heels to look at her expectantly. He grinned when he saw River still had her eyes closed, smiling, her cheeks still a pretty pink._

_"I think you liked that," he said, slyly._

_Her eyes fluttered slowly open. "It wasn't displeasing," she said._

_His face fell but he quickly recovered himself. "That's it?_ Not displeasing _?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "How come you're blushing and lookin' all swoony, then?"_

_"I don't look swoony!"_

_"You do, too!" he snapped. "You look like a swoony girl! Probably got a crush on me now and everything." When she turned a darker shade of red, he smiled meanly. That's what she got for hurting his feelings. "River Tam's got herself a cruuuuuuush!"_

_"I do not!" River leapt up and kicked the basket over, spilling the remaining food. "I hate you, Jayne Cobb! I hope you... I hope you..." She burst into tears and ran off through the branches._

_"River!" Jayne jumped to his feet and ran after her, instantly regretting everything. "River, come back!" He stumbled over a tree root and fell on his face. By the time he'd scrambled up again, she was long gone._

__

~*~

_It took hours for Jayne to work up his nerve to go apologize to River. After the way he acted, he wouldn't blame her if she never spoke to him again. She'd been all nice and sweet to help him get his B+, then get him a nice picnic, and then kiss him when he'd asked. And what did he go and do? Torment her and make her cry, just because she hadn't gone falling over herself saying he was the best kisser in the 'verse._

__

 

_Taking a deep breath to steady his shaky nerves, Jayne knocked on the kitchen door. For some crazy reason he was welcome at the front door, Mr. Tam had said so, but he felt more comfortable entering the Tam house through the kitchen. A lot of people he knew worked there._

 

_A young woman with a friendly, freckled face and pretty strawberry blonde hair opened the door. "Hey, Jayney. How'd you like your picnic?"_

 

__

__

_"It uh, was good. I brung back the basket for ya." He held it out to her and she took it from him._

 

_"Wanna come in? River's about to have her milk and cookies before she goes to bed. Why are ya over here so late, anyway? Isn't it a school night?" Kat stepped back and Jayne hesitated before coming inside._

 

_"I forgot about the basket and I remembered late is all," Jayne muttered._

 

_Kat looked at him and Jayne knew she knew all about the fight. "Well, River should be down any minute. You still like chocolate chip, right?"_

 

_"Right."_

 

_Jayne leaned against the counter and watched as Kat opened the oven and pulled out a tray of cookies. The butterflies in his stomach were keeping him from wanting any, however, so the scent of the melted chocolate was wasted on him._

 

_"Kat? I changed my mind; I just want regular milk not chocolate." River came down the kitchen stairs, all clean and in her dressing gown. Her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulders and she was hugging a stuffed white rabbit to her chest. She looked happy but froze in place when she saw Jayne. "Oh!"_

 

_"Uh, hi," Jayne said, awkwardly._

 

_"Hello." River pretended like her rabbit needed to be fiddled with._

 

_"Look. Uh." Oh hell, he wanted his best friend back. "River, I'm sorry I was mean to ya. Don't hate me no more, okay?"_

 

_She gave him a shocked look. "I don't hate you!"_

 

_"Well, I deserve it at least."_

 

_"No." River went to him and took his hand. "I could never hate you."_

 

_He looked at her imploringly. "So you forgive me?"_

 

_River nodded. "I do," she said, making Jayne beam._

 

_"Hey, you two. Cookies and milk time. And then I'll walk you to your house on my way home, Jayne." Kat smiled at them and gestured to the little kitchen table. Once they sat down, she left them two glasses of milk and a plate of cookies then made some excuse to leave the room._

 

_"To friendship," River said, holding up her cup of milk._

 

_"To friendship," Jayne agreed._

 

_They clinked their glasses together and dug into their cookies._


	5. Chapter 5

When Jayne had thrown everything there was to throw, he settled on the edge of his bed and buried his face in his hands. He hadn't cried since he'd last seen that girl and he sure as shit wasn't going to break a twenty year record for her who smacked at him when he was only trying to help.

 

"Jayne? You through pitchin' a fit down there?"

 

Scowling, Jayne got up and strode over to the ladder. He hated being treated like a child, but the captain and his _go se_ were a nice distraction from the possibility of waterworks.

 

"The hell do you want?" Jayne grumbled as he joined Mal in the hallway. 

 

"The girl's settled in one of the passenger dorms. Go check in on her." Mal started to walk away.

 

"Why the hell should I? Because she's got some more crazy tricks to show off?"

 

Mal stopped and looked at him, face blank. "Because she's asking for you."

 

Oh.

~*~

"She might still be asleep," Kaylee whispered to him as she pointed out which room they'd put River in.

 

Jayne nodded, taking the hint, and slid the door open and shut it behind him as quietly as possible. He kept his steps light as he crossed to the bed, kneeling down next to it. River slept on her side, one arm curled under her head, her other hand a fist under her chin. She looked so tired and so damn _young_. If he ever found out who'd done this to her, he'd kill the son of a whore.

 

River frowned in her sleep and stirred slightly. "Jayne?"

 

His breath caught in his throat and he reached out to stroke her hair. River had always had such pretty hair; it pained him to see it so unkempt and greasy, the last two inches or so nothing but dead ends. "Yeah, _bao bei_ , it's me."

 

"Not _bao bei_. Apple blossom." Her eyelashes fluttered and then she was staring at him with those big, brown eyes of hers. She looked a little annoyed that he hadn't called her by the correct endearment.

 

He grinned. "That's right. My little apple blossom."

 

"I missed you." River blinked slowly, losing her fight against the medication. 

 

"Oh, I missed you, too, pretty girl." Jayne cleared his throat. "Best get some sleep now, you hear?"

 

"Slept for so long," she whispered. "Too long." One of her slim, graceful hands reached out and traced the lines around his eyes.

 

"Yeah, you got some catchin' up to do. Always was older'n you anyways, though. Right?" He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Go to sleep now, River."

 

She murmured a protest but was asleep again in seconds. He stayed there for awhile, just watching her, making sure she was safe. The last time he'd let her out of his sight had resulted in the situation they found themselves in now; he wasn't about to let anything worse happen to her.

 

"Jayne?" Kaylee peeked her head into the room. "Supper's ready. Captain wants you at the table."

 

"Ain't leavin' her." Jayne took River's hand in his, frowning at how cold she was. He dropped a kiss into her palm and started rubbing it between his own two hands, hoping the friction would warm her up some.

 

Kaylee's eyes softened. "I can stay with her if you want so you can go eat. I promise to not let anything happen to her."

 

Well, a meal right about now sounded nice. And maybe while he was up there, he could set a little aside for River for when she got hungry. He nodded at Kaylee then turned back to River. "I'm goin' to the mess for a spell, all right? I'll be back in a few minutes and I'll see if I can bring you something. We shiny, pretty girl?" He stroked her hair, smiling when she murmured softly in her sleep. "Good. Kaylee'll get you anything you need. She's a good'un." 

 

Reluctantly, Jayne rose to his feet and nodded at Kaylee as if it say, _I'm trusting you with this; don't mess it up._ Once he left the room, Kaylee took his place next to the bed, looking at River curiously.

 

"When you wake up, you're gonna hafta tell me _all_ about young Jayne. I'm seein' it but I'm havin' a hard time believin' it."

~*~

Jayne barely listened as Mal told them some about his latest scheme to make them some money. Apparently they were going to take on tourists again, but that weren't anything new. He just focused on finishing what he had on his plate, setting aside the best looking bits for River. The meal wasn't quite what she'd been used to growing up in that big, fancy house but she could adapt. The first week with him back when they were kids, she'd stopped using longer words and the other kids had held off on picking on her about that. 'Course, there'd been the fact that she was so much tinier and younger so that still had given her some trouble, but that couldn't be helped.

 

Mal stopped in mid-sentence. "Kaylee, what-?"

 

Spinning around in alarm, Jayne was ready to snarl at the girl to get back to watching River when he found that she'd brought River along with her.

 

"She woke up asking for Jayne and she started followin' me, Cap'n." Kaylee had her arm linked through River's and gently nudged River's shoulder with her own, nodding in Jayne's direction. "See? There he is."

 

Wash politely picked up his plate and moved to another chair to free up the spot next to Jayne. 

 

River was taking in the room with wide, fascinated eyes but she soon focused on Jayne and smiled. "Found you."

 

"Wasn't hidin'." Jayne smiled back and patted the chair's seat. "Been savin' some grub for you, girl. C'mere."

 

Kaylee walked her over to the chair and River sat down, looking in fascination at the plate Jayne set before her. "This isn't home," she said, confused.

 

"It's my new home," Jayne told her. "You can stay here with me long as you like." He looked at Mal, daring him to challenge this but the captain just nodded. "You feeling any better?"

 

"Better than what?" River picked up a fork and scooped up some protein.

 

Jayne chuckled. "Than when you came outta that box, apple blossom."

 

"She reports signs of improvement but displays fatigue periodically." She ate her mouthful of protein and made a little face, but swallowed it.

 

Everyone looked at each other, bewildered by that odd statement.

 

"That's... that's good." Jayne nodded. "I think. You thirsty?" He poured her a drink of water from the pitcher and set the glass in front of her. "Haven't had a drink in twenty years; you must be parched."

 

River looked up at him. "Twenty years?"

 

"Well, uh, we don't know for sure. Do you remember when you got all frozen?"

 

Her face darkened. "Frozen."

 

"Yeah. Do ya remember anything at all?"

 

Her breath was starting to come faster. "Remember."

 

"Why're ya repeatin' everything I say? Don't you remember what happened to you?"

 

"Jayne, leave her alone," Inara admonished him, looking in concern at River as she grew more and more upset.

 

"What did they do to you?" Jayne growled, ignoring the companion. "Tell me, 'n I'll make sure to kill every one of 'em."

 

River covered her face and started weeping piteously. "No!"

 

His eyes widened in surprise. "You want 'em to get away with doin' this to you?"

 

"Don't want to remember! Don't want to think! Let it sit in the corner until it's forgotten." 

 

"Okay, darlin' that's what we'll do then," Mal cut in, sending Jayne a dirty look. "No one's gonna ask you any more questions, okay?"

 

She didn't answer, just continued crying, rocking back and forth in her chair. Jayne gently touched her shoulder but she cringed away from his touch.

 

"Let it be forgotten like she was," she whispered sadly.

 

Jayne stared at her in shock. "I didn't forget you! I-"

 

"Left in a tower, can't grow her hair long enough to escape, no prince to rescue her. Forgotten. Unwanted."

 

"Hey, now. That ain't what happened at all. If you'd just listen-"

 

"Jayne," Mal said warningly. "Leave that girl alone right now."

 

Looking around the table, Jayne saw everyone staring at him accusingly. The big bad mercenary making a little girl cry. His hands clenched into fists and he violently pushed his chair back, making it screech in protest.

 

"To hell with all of you," he snarled and stormed from the room.

~*~

Where did that bastard end up anyhow? He tapped the screen here and there, trying to unclench his teeth. He was the big, mean guy? Well, fine. Someone else could sweet-talk her and hold her hand, then.

 

"Capital City Hospital," a tired looking nurse said.

 

"Yeah, I'm lookin' for Dr. Simon Tam," Jayne said. "Can I talk to 'im?"

 

The nurse sighed. "I'll transfer you. One moment." The picture went dark for a few minutes and Jayne tapped his fingers on the arm of the pilot's chair impatiently. The same nurse returned a moment later, frowning. "I'm sorry; he's off duty at the moment. Perhaps you should try back at a later date."

 

" _Ta ma de_!" Jayne snapped, startling the nurse, and rudely broke the connection.

 

Guess he was stuck with the gorramn girl until he could get her big brother to come collect her.


	6. Chapter 6

_Just as Kat had said, Jayne found River at their old spot. Since they had started high school in the fall, he and River hadn't been spending much time there. Well, that wasn't exactly true. They hadn't been in these woods together in years. River had said something about disrupting the sanctity of the spot with their everyday worries and that it should be saved exclusively for when either of them felt terrible about the 'verse in general._

_Now that he thought about it, it kinda worried him that River needed to be here. What had her so upset? Guiltily, he knew he should know what was on her mind. But he'd started playing sports in school and his pop had him working in the factory on the weekends so that didn't leave a whole lot of time for River. And he missed her._

_River was sitting on their old picnic blanket, curled up with a book in her lap. He smiled at the sight of her. Over the summer, she'd rebelled against her father and bought pretty colored sundresses, skirts, and blouses so now she looked like a flower rather than a stern little librarian. Barefoot and dressed in pink suited River just fine._

_"Hey, Riv," he called out to her. She looked up and he grinned at the brilliant smile on her face._

_"Jayne! What are you doing here?" She set her book aside and patted the blanket, encouraging him to take a seat._

_"Well, I was lookin' for ya because I wanted your help with somethin'." Jayne sat down, watching her carefully._

_She looked disappointed. "Oh. What did you need help with?"_

_"I wanted t' know the proper way to ask someone to the spring dance." Jayne bit his lip when she looked away from him._

_"I... don't really know much about that; boys don't ask me to dances. I'm too young." She nervously tugged at a lock of her hair._

_Jayne frowned. "Well, how would _you_ ask if you was me?"_

_For a moment she was silent, thinking. Finally, she sat up a little. "I would say, 'Sabrina Reese, would you do me the honor of attending the Spring Dance with me?'"_

_"Sabrina Reese?!" Jayne's jaw dropped. "Why the hell would you ask her?"_

_"I wouldn't," River snapped. "I was pretending to be you. Everyone knows about you and Sabrina."_

_Sabrina _Reese_? Yeah, Jayne had kissed her under the bleachers a few times but that was it. He'd never taken her home to meet his ma and pa or beaten up bullies to protect her or dreamed about her._

_"Thing about me 'n Sabrina is that there _ain't_ no me 'n Sabrina," Jayne said. "So are you gonna keep bein' pissy with me or are ya gonna answer one more question for me?"_

_"I'll answer your question," River said stiffly._

_Jayne held his breath a moment before letting it out slowly. "River Tam, would you do me the honor of attending the Spring Dance with me?"_

_Her face turned pink as her eyes widened in disbelief. "Me?" she squeaked, pointing to herself._

_"You're the only River Tam I know," Jayne said with a little smile._

_Shyly, she lowered her gaze to her lap. "Well... all right." She looked back up at him, smiling brightly. "I'd love to."_

_Jayne grinned so hard he knew his face was going to hurt later. "Yeah? Okay. I'll pick ya up Friday at six o'clock." He started to scramble to his feet. "By the way, I uh... sorta voted for you for Miss Apple Blossom."_

_"You did?" Her face turned a darker shade of red. "I don't even know how I got nominated in the first pl-" She saw the sheepish look on his face and sighed. "Of course."_

_"You're gonna win," Jayne said, confidently. "I gotta get to the factory now. I'll see ya in school, okay?"_

_River nodded, smiling. "See you in school."_

__

~*~

_Jayne rang the bell of the Tam house and adjusted his tie nervously. He never thought he'd be as grateful to Simon as he was now. When River's brother had found out about the dance, he'd rush delivered a suit, saving Jayne from having to wear one of his pa's old suits that were way too big on him._

__

 

_The door was opened by Mr. Tam. "Jayne! Good evening, come inside."_

 

_He'd never come in the front door before and he did so now with a great feeling of unease. If only he could've come in through the kitchen, chatted a little with Kat, and then he and River could be on their way._

 

_"What time does this function end?" Mr. Tam asked._

 

_Jayne wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead. "Uh, nine o'clock, sir. I'll have River home right after."_

 

_"Good man." Mr. Tam clapped him on the shoulder and Jayne smiled robotically._

 

_Mrs. Tam came down the stairs and smiled upon seeing him. "Hello, Jayne. River's almost ready. It was very sweet of you to ask her to the dance; she's so much younger than all the other children, I'm afraid she tends to get overlooked when it comes to these sorts of things."_

 

_"She was my first choice," Jayne said, honestly. He blushed when the Tams shared an amused look._

 

_"That's good to hear," Mr. Tam said, nodding. "River! Come on now, don't keep your date waiting!"_

 

_"I'm coming!" she called._

 

_For years afterward, Jayne would recall that moment when she first came out on the landing. Her white dress looked sweet and innocent and made her look like a little bride. It didn't have a ridiculous train or anything like that, but the blush staining her cheeks and neck added to the idea that she was about to be married. And Jayne knew right then that one day he'd ask her._

 

_"Is that for me?" River asked when she reached the bottom of the stairs._

 

_"Huh?" Jayne asked._

 

_She nodded at the pink flower he was holding. "That. Is that for me?"_

 

_"Oh." He looked at it stupidly then shook himself. "Yeah. Here."_

 

_She accepted it with a soft smile of thanks. "Mother, could you put it in my hair?"_

 

_"Of course, dear." Mrs. Tam stepped forward and tucked the delicate flower behind her daughter's ear. "There. It looks lovely."_

 

_Beaming, River took Jayne's arm and smiled up at him. He managed a shaky smile back in response._

 

_"Oh, Gabriel, they're so adorable," Mrs. Tam said, clasping her hands. "Let's take some pictures!"_

 

_Mr. Tam and Jayne rolled their eyes at the same time and then grinned at each other._

~*~

_Jayne hadn't thought he'd have much fun at the dance but he was proving himself wrong. River was the best dancer there and had the most energy so they'd been twirling around most of the night, laughing and talking. They hadn't been able to see much of each other that year due to River getting placed in all the smart kid classes and Jayne ending up in all the average joe courses but they seemed to be making up for it as they danced and talked and laughed with each other._

__

 

_Then the student body president got up on the stage and interrupted the fiddlers. "Excuse me, could I have everyone's attention, please? It's time to announce who won Miss Apple Blossom."_

 

_Everyone quieted down, but all of the students buzzed with excitement._

 

_Jayne squeezed her side excitedly. "Here it comes, Riv."_

 

_"I'm not going to win, Jayne," River said, but looked hopeful all the same._

 

_One of the band members started the drum roll as the president opened up the sealed envelope that had just been handed to him. "And, this year's Miss Apple Blossom is...."_

 

_The whole room held its collective breath._

 

_"Sabrina Reese!"_

 

_River ducked her head in disappointment as everyone applauded. "See? I told you."_

 

_"Aw, River." Jayne turned her to face him but she looked off in another direction. So he took her chin in his hand to make her look up at him. "You're the only girl in here who looks anything like an apple blossom."_

 

_"I do?"_

 

_"Yeah. You're all... white and pink and... pretty." He pulled her a little closer. "You're_ my _apple blossom."_

 

_She smiled. "I am?"_

 

_Jayne nodded. "Yeah."_

 

_"I think that's much better than being Miss Apple Blossom." She hugged him tight and he hugged her back, ignoring Sabrina Reese's lengthy acceptance speech._

~*~

_"Thank you for asking me to the dance, Jayne. I had fun." River looked up at him, smiling warmly._

__

 

_"Thanks for goin' with me," he answered then licked his lips. "Listen, I was thinkin'... the diner in town has the best milkshakes. Would you wanna maybe go there after school with me sometime?"_

 

_River nodded. "Yes, I would."_

 

_"That's great." Jayne's courage grew a little. "And maybe, if I was to wait outside one of your classes, you wouldn't mind if I walked ya to the next one?"_

 

_"I wouldn't mind at all," River said, softly._

 

_"Shiny." He took a step closer. "And if I kissed you right now, would you-"_

 

_"Kiss you back?" She beamed at him and stood up on her tiptoes in expectation. He gathered her close and kissed her all soft and gentle-like until someone tapped on the front window to split them up._

 

_They broke apart laughing._

 

_"I'll see you Monday in school," River promised him._

 

_Jayne nodded, backing down the steps. "Okay. See ya then, apple blossom."_

 

_Before going inside, she blew him a kiss and Jayne grinned the whole way home._


	7. Chapter 7

"Jayne," Mal called. "We're almost to Persephone. I know this'll cut into your poutin' time, but could you take River down to your bunk now?"

 

"Why's it gotta be _my_ bunk?" Jayne groused.

 

Mal rolled his eyes. "For whatever reason, she's the most calm when she's around you, barring her inclination for screamin' outbursts. Just keep her down there until we get this Mr. Kilroy Moore to Boros. He's Core and bound to get a mite tetchy if he sees our crazy little character. Shiny?"

 

"Yeah, I hear ya." Jayne turned away from the captain and headed to the cargo bay where he'd been hearing girlish giggling all day. Sure enough, River was in there with Kaylee, playing jacks. Since coming on board, Kaylee had taken the girl under her wing, being her friend when Jayne was too overwhelmed to do much. 

 

Kaylee stopped in mid-sentence when she saw him. "Hiya! Me 'n River was just spinnin' some yarns. She's got more'n a few with you in 'em." The girl grinned teasingly.

 

"Whaddya been sayin' about me?" Jayne asked River, gruffly.

 

She looked up at him, smiling in that way that always played havoc with his insides. "That you're my best friend." She reached up to take his hand and he found himself lacing their fingers together before he was even aware of it.

 

"Awww." Kaylee cooed over the picture they made. "Jayne, don't be mad at her no more, okay?"

 

"Mal wants I should hide ya in my bunk while we get some pantywaist on board. You okay with that?" Jayne ignored the raspberry Kaylee blew at him in response to his eye roll and focused on River's face.

 

She lowered her head and peeked up at him through her eyelashes. "I suppose that I am amenable to this plan."

 

"Fancy talk for yes," Jayne clarified to Kaylee, who looked confused. "Well, c'mon then, ap- River. No time like right now."

 

River nodded and allowed Jayne to pull her to her feet. When he tried to let her hand go, she held on stubbornly and Jayne just didn't have the heart to shake her off. He'd been avoiding close contact with her since her outburst at the dinner table a few nights ago. Part of him was still hurting and part of him wanted like hell to wrap her up tight in his arms and beg her to let him help her. 

 

Instead, he led her to his bunk and let her climb down the ladder first, cursing Mal all the while.

 

"I'm very tired. May I lie down?"

 

"I don't care what ya do," Jayne muttered, settling into his desk chair. He watched her curl up on his bed and swallowed thickly to see her there. Maybe later he'd find one of her hairs on his pillow.

 

"Please be patient with me Jayne," she whispered, closing her eyes. A tear slid down her cheek. "I never know what I'm saying. I don't mean to hurt you."

 

Oh, hell. Jayne got up and sat down on the mattress, making it dip so her body rolled against him. "You don't got a thing t' be sorry for, apple blossom; I'm the one who's been actin' like a prick. Don't you be worryin' on my account; just concentrate on feelin' better."

 

River sighed softly. "Feel better when you're near."

 

"Then I'm gonna be near."

 

She smiled and fell asleep.

~*~

"Mr. Moore? I'm Captain Reynolds and this here is Serenity and my crew." Mal gestured to the cargo bay where everyone stood, watching their new passenger with unabashed interest.

 

The man looked tired and stern and a bit like an Alliance official. Mal could feel the ripple of unease coming off his crew as the man came on board. Good thing they had nothing incriminating in their hold. Except for maybe a crazy girl liable to shriek the roof down but Jayne had her contained. Hopefully.

 

"It's a pleasure, Captain Reynolds." Moore shook his hand firmly and scanned the room. "Is this your whole crew?"

 

Mal kept cool. "Well, we have one other fella but he's a tad ornery and prefers to keep himself hidden most of the time. You'll probably meet him at supper tonight. More pity to you."

 

Moore smiled. "I see. Where is my room located? I'd like to put my personal effects away."

 

"Of course. Kaylee, could you show the nice man to his room, please?"

 

"Sure thing, Cap'n. Right this way, Mr. Moore." Kaylee picked up one of the man's bags, ignoring his protests, and led the way to the passenger dorms.

 

Mal breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good.

~*~

Jayne watched River as she slept. It'd been forever and a day since he'd gotten to do this and it felt nice. She still made little noises in her sleep that made him smile. Not for the first time, he started to think about how different their lives could've been, if he'd been able to hold on to her. He could've had this every day of his life, watched her grow old with him, maybe had a few kids...

 

River jerked awake suddenly, gasping.

 

"Didja have a bad dream, apple blossom?" Jayne asked, concerned.

 

"He's here," she whispered.

 

"Who's here?"

 

Before he could stop her, she'd jumped up off the bed and was halfway up the ladder.

 

"River, gorramn it, you're s'posed ta stay down here with me!" Jayne ran after her and tried to grab at her ankle but she nimbly avoided his clutching fingers. Damn girl always was quick.

 

He climbed up the ladder fast as he could and pounded after her, grabbing uselessly at the air as she managed to elude him.

 

" _River_!" he snapped. "Stop!"

~*~

"Mr. Moore, if you could just follow me, I can give ya a quick tour," Mal said, smoothly.

 

"Of course." Moore started to follow the captain and everyone froze when pounding footsteps came from above. 

 

A second later, River tore out onto the catwalk and bolted down the stairs toward them.

 

Mal blanched and shared a quick look with Zoe. She nodded at him, wordlessly communicating her willingness to follow his lead however he wanted to deal with this.

 

"Simon," River sobbed, and threw herself into Moore's arms.

 

"Shhh, _mei mei_." Moore wrapped his arms around her. "I'm here."

 

Jayne emerged a moment later and his jaw dropped. "Holy hell. I tried ta call you, but the nurse said you was away!"

 

"I was on my way here," Moore said, shakily. "I knew I could count on you to take care of her. Have you been giving her injections daily?"

 

"I have," Jayne grunted. "You coulda signed that note, ya know."

 

"I couldn't take that risk," Moore said, tersely. He tightened his hold on River. "Thank you for taking such good care of her."

 

"Someone tell me what the hell is going on here right now before I throw you all off my boat on general principle," Mal said, sounding irritated.

 

"Captain Reynolds, I'm Simon Tam. I'm River's brother." He gently let River go, looking her over as if to make sure she had no injuries. "I was the one who put her in the cryogenic chamber and sent her here."

 

Everyone in the room stiffened.

 

"You sayin' you're the one who froze her?" Jayne said, dangerously.

 

"Well, yes, but-" Before he could finish his sentence, Jayne clattered down the steps and threw a punch that knocked Simon to the floor, making him spray blood.

 

"No!" River cried, and ran to her brother's side.

 

"What-" Simon started to say with some difficulty.

 

"How couldja do that to yer own sister?" Jayne snarled. "Lookit her! She's supposed to be around my age; you took years of her life away from her!"

 

"What?!" Simon stared at him in shock. "I meant that I froze her for the _transportation_. I wasn't the one to keep her in stasis for years."

 

Jayne's righteous anger fizzled as everyone in the room looked at him like he was an idiot. "Well.... now I know that."


	8. Chapter 8

_At the graduation ceremony earlier in the evening, River had promised to leave her window open for him and once he'd reached the top of the ladder, he was able to slip into her room without any trouble. Not that there ever was any trouble; since they'd started this, River had been careful to keep the area around the window free of any objects or furniture he might stumble over once he was inside. She'd been pretty upset when he'd accidentally smashed her dollhouse's breakfast nook._

_River was already in bed waiting for him. "Good evening, Jayne."_

_Jayne grinned at her, shedding his t-shirt and unbuckling his belt. "Evenin', apple blossom. Miss me?"_

_She rolled her eyes but said, "Yes. It's only been three hours since I saw you last."_

_He chuckled as he kicked off his remaining clothing and slid under the covers with her. "Gonna give your Jayne a kiss?"_

_"Of course." She cupped his cheek and gave him a sweet, soft kiss that made his insides glow and his already hurting heart rip just a bit more._

_When he broke the kiss so they could breathe, he glanced across the room to where her bags were packed. Little matching suitcases all in a row. "Looks like you're all set," he said, trying to keep his tone light._

_"It didn't take very long," she said. "There's not much I felt like bringing with me. Just the necessary items."_

_He played with a lock of her hair, tickling the end of her nose with a curl to make her giggle and swat lightly at him. "What necessary items would those be?"_

_"Underwear, my favorite dresses, my dance shoes, my Jayne artifacts, a little money, my address b-"_

_"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up a minute." Jayne tipped his head to the side. "Jayne artifacts?"_

_She turned pink, making him smile. "Yes. The letters you've written me over the years. I have them tied together with a blue ribbon. Also, little gifts you've given me. And um, a stick."_

_"A_ stick _?" he asked in disbelief._

_River nodded, turning pinker. "After the first time we played, I returned after supper and found the stick you'd used as your sword. I kept it."_

_"I didn't know that," Jayne said, not knowing what else to say._

_"Well, I never told you." She smiled and bit her lip before quietly admitting, "I've loved you for a long time."_

_Jayne touched her bottom lip with his thumb. "Don't do that so much, you're gonna hurt yourself." Once she'd released her lip he dipped his head to brush her mouth with his. "Same goes for me, too. Loved ya before I ever realized it."_

_"I'm glad you waited to tell me," River said, dreamily._

_He grinned at that. The first time he told her he loved her was the first time they'd had sex. River had wanted it to be perfect and for some reason wanted it to be where they'd first met. Jayne didn't know if kids had taken over their secret spot or not so he'd built a tent for her, so they could have a little privacy. It'd been autumn and chilly so he'd gathered all the blankets he could find and built them a cozy little nest. Before going inside, he'd held her hand and said the words. It'd been the best damn day of his life._

_"Glad I waited, too. It was worth it just to see the look on your face." He kissed her cheek. She'd looked so wonderstruck and had started to cry. He'd been worried he'd said the wrong thing but then she was all wrapped around him, telling him she loved him too. And she'd smiled at him the way she was right now, like he was the one who made the sun rise and set every day._

_"I'm going to miss you," she whispered. Tears welled up in her big brown eyes and it took everything he had not to cry right along with her._

_"I'll miss you, too," he answered, tracing a tear that slipped down her cheek._

_"If- if you don't want me to go then I won't."_

_That stopped Jayne cold. It was a tempting offer. Have River stay, marry her, get a place of their own and start having babies. River would look so beautiful cuddling a child that looked like the both of them. Sitting on the porch watching them play in the yard, River pausing to push her hair behind her ear and smile at him..._

_No. They had plenty of time for that._

_"I can't ask ya t' do that, apple blossom," Jayne said, shaking his head. "You gotta go to your school and outsmart all the other eggheads. Live up to your full potential like your brother says."_

_"The Academy will still be there," River pointed out. "I could spend a year here with you and we could-"_

_"If you spend a year here with me, you're not gonna be able t' leave." Jayne took her hand and squeezed it. "I want like hell to have ya by my side always, don't get me wrong. But if I ask ya to do that, you'll be throwin' away a major opportunity. You'll regret it the rest of your life and... I don't want ya hatin' me for takin' that away from you."_

_"I could never hate you!" Her eyes widened in horror at the very idea._

_"You think that now," Jayne said. "But couple years down the road, you'll start thinkin' 'what if' and wish you'd gone to the fancy government school. I'll be the handiest thing to blame your regrets on and you'll get resentful of me. I seen it happen before and I don't want that t' be us."_

_River stared into his eyes a long moment, as if she was trying to figure out if this was how he really felt or if he was just saying what she wanted to hear. She must've realized he was being sincere because she nodded, the tears starting to fall again._

_"All right, Jayne. I'll go. But... will you write to me?"_

_"Oh, you know I will, apple blossom. And you better write back t' me,_ dong ma _?"_

_She nodded again and ran her fingers through his hair. "Will you make love to me, now?"_

_He grinned, wolfishly. "Be my pleasure."_

__

~*~

_Early the next morning, Jayne slid out of bed and started dressing. He had to get home, take a shower, then come back and say goodbye to River in front of the Tams. She was still sleeping and he just didn't have the heart to wake her._

_Before leaving, he placed an apple blossom on the pillow._

__

_Hours later, Jayne held River in his arms for the last time, whispering sweet things in her ear to make her smile. She was crying again and he didn't want his last look at her to be her in tears. He liked his River smiling and laughing, not weeping because of him._

___ _

_"River," Mr. Tam said. "It's time to go or you'll miss your transport."_

____ _ _

_Slowly, she loosened her hold on Jayne and stared up at him with shining eyes. "I love you, Jayne Cobb."_

_____ _ _ _

_"I love you too, River Tam." He let her go and took a step back. "Go show them Core folks how it's done."_

______ _ _ _ _

_He got his wish and his last look at her was all smiles and laughter._

_______ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _ _ _ _ _

~*~

_Jayne opened the mailbox and peered inside without much hope. Going on a month and River hadn't written back to him. He'd kept his promise and wrote to her nearly every day. Spent most of his paycheck on stamps but he still wasn't hearing anything from her. Apparently she wrote to her family because Simon called him the other day asking if he'd noticed anything strange about her letters. Simon hadn't called him again when Jayne reported he hadn't been hearing from her at all._

_Guess she didn't want to be tied to a country bumpkin when she had the whole 'verse at her feet._

__

_He wrote to her faithfully for two years before he gave up. It hurt too much living on Pomona; he'd walk through town and every shop and seemingly insignificant spot had some tie to him and River. When he was twenty, he took the first transport ship out of there and in the years that followed, he never went back._

___ _

_He hardened his heart and never let anyone inside again. It could get a mite lonesome but enough coin could satisfy his baser urges. He didn't need any friends so long as he got paid and could just keep going._

____ _ _

_And he never allowed his mind to wander to River Tam ever again. At least not consciously._


	9. Chapter 9

After getting a compress for Simon's split lip, the crew went up to the mess as Wash got them off world.

 

"Are you alright, _mei mei_?" Simon asked River. The girl had yet to release her brother's hand, almost as if she were afraid he'd fade away into nothing if she didn't constantly remind herself that he was there.

 

River nodded. "Yes. Jayne's been taking good care of me." She gently touched her brother's temple, frowning at the gray hair there. "You've changed as well."

 

"Yes." Simon looked sad, turning his gaze down to their joined hands. "You've been gone a long while, River. Much too long, I'm afraid."

 

Mal cleared his throat. "Speaking of which, would you mind shedding some light on that little quirk? Who froze your sister and why?"

 

Suddenly, Wash's voice came over the com. "Hey, don't be explaining everything while I'm out of the room! Wait until I can get the auto pilot on!"

 

Everyone wilted in disappointment at having to wait even longer. Kaylee looked the most disappointed of them all but she pasted on a smile for Simon's benefit. "So, Dr. Tam, how much older are ya supposed to be than River? If ya don't mind me asking?"

 

"Oh, no, I don't mind at all. I'm technically seven years older than River," Simon said, looking uncomfortable. "Five years older than Jayne. Also, you can just call me Simon."

 

Kaylee nodded and her smile turned sincere. "I'll try ta remember."

 

All the while, Jayne had been silent and had kept his gaze trained on River. She looked so happy to see her brother it felt as if she'd forgotten Jayne was even in the room. He knew it wasn't fair to pout over something like that since she hadn't seen Simon in twenty years but in the time he'd spent away from the good influence she'd had on him, he'd grown petty and mean among other things.

 

After what felt like an eternity, Wash joined them and everyone looked expectantly at Simon.

 

The man looked uncomfortable under everyone's scrutiny. "I'm not sure how much of the story you already know..."

 

"Just start at the beginning, son," Shepherd Book said kindly.

 

"Well, River was born quite gifted. She was-"

 

"Not _that_ far in the beginning," Jayne snarled.

 

Kaylee looked scandalized. "Jayne, that's mean! Let him start the story how he wants!"

 

"You all already know she went away to a government school and I never saw her again," Jayne snapped. "Start there, Doc."

 

Looking taken aback, Simon adjusted his story-telling. "Right. Well, because she was born gifted, she was accepted into a very exclusive school. The Academy. I received letters from her for a few months and then... nothing. Toward the end, the letters had gotten strange. River would mention events that had never taken place, names of people we didn't know. It was a code. It said, 'They're hurting us. Get me out.'"

 

"They was _hurtin'_ you?" Jayne demanded of her. She didn't look at him, kept wringing her hands in her lap. "Apple blossom, why didn't ya write ta me?! I woulda come 'n got ya in ten seconds, you know I would've!"

 

"Called and called but didn't have the right words." River looked up at him, her big brown eyes wide with weary grief.

 

"What are you-"

 

"Let him finish the story, Jayne," Mal said, quietly.

 

Jayne swallowed his anger and nodded at Simon to continue.

 

"It took years to build up the contacts necessary to infiltrate an institution as large and encompassing as The Academy. There were many false leads, lost informants, coded information... They had my sister and they were making it impossible to get to her. But finally, about ten years ago, I found out that River had been placed in stasis years ago with instructions to be let out and the experiment continued in the event of a Dr. Mathias' death."

 

"What experiment?" Mal asked.

 

"I have no idea," Simon said, running a hand over his face tiredly. "After that, I had people following Mathias wherever he went; I wanted to know the very second he died. I had an insider find the place where River had been stored and he relabeled her holding cell while someone else hacked into the system and changed the written instructions. At the time of Mathias' death, River was to be sent to the hospital where I work. It took a few more years to get that into place and then I merely had to wait until Mathias passed."

 

Jayne snorted. "Why didn't ya just have him killed?"

 

"I'm a doctor," Simon said tightly. "I save lives; I don't end them. Not matter how undeserving one man may be of life."

 

"So Mathias is dead then?" Inara asked, stopping the argument before it could escalate.

 

"Yes. Two weeks ago he had a stroke. A few days after that, River arrived at the hospital and I transferred her into a cryogenic chamber that would keep her frozen for a few months if I needed. But she didn't have far to go."

 

Mal nodded. "You sent her to Jayne."

 

"I sent her to Jayne. Our parents are no longer living and Jayne was the first person I could think of who would protect River with his life." He sent Jayne a grateful look. "I knew he'd take care of her when I couldn't."

 

Jayne shifted uncomfortably, unused to the warmth on everyone's faces as they looked at him. "So... why'd this Mathias guy freeze River, anyhow?"

 

"I don't know." Simon touched River's shoulder gently. " _Mei mei_ , do you remember anything about-"

 

"I wouldn't do that, Doc," Jayne interrupted as River started to look a little wild-eyed. "She goes all woolly if you bring up the A-C-A-D-I-M-E in front o' her."

 

River relaxed and gave him a weak smile. "Your spelling hasn't improved over the years, Jayne Cobb."

 

"Nah, it's only gotten worse." Jayne smiled back at her, glad to see a bit of the old her.

 

"So what are you gonna do now?" Kaylee asked. "I guess ya can't go home if the Alliance is gonna be lookin' for ya."

 

Simon took a deep breath. "No, that's certainly out of the question. I just want to get River away. Far away from the Core. That's where all of you come in." He looked around the room at the crew. "If you could suggest a safe world for River and I to settle on...?"

 

"A safe world?" Mal repeated with a snort. "'m afraid one o' those don't exist."

 

"Well, somewhere the Alliance doesn't have much of a hold, then," Simon said, looking embarrassed.

 

Mal and Zoe shared a look. "We're headed to one o' those right now. It won't be as fancy as you're used to."

 

"That doesn't matter," Simon said hastily, taking River's hand. "Just so long as she's safe, I'll be happy."

 

"So y'all are leavin'." 

 

Everyone seemed surprised by Jayne's hollow sounding voice and they all went still.

 

"I don't see or hear a thing from either o' you for twenty years and then you show up all sudden-like for a quick favor 'fore you're on your way again?" Jayne's nostrils flared. "Glad to see ya only value friendship for what you can get out of a body."

 

Mal raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like how you operate, Jayne."

 

"I wasn't always like this!" Jayne snapped and pointed a finger at the Tams. "They made me- They were- Aw, to hell with this. Good riddance to the both of you."

 

"Jayne-" Simon started to say.

 

"Oh, shut yer face!" Jayne snarled. "You knew she was in danger and you let me think I wasn't hearin' from her because she'd given up on me. You can go ta hell, Tam."

 

"I didn't want you in danger, either!" Simon shouted back. "You were like a brother to me!"

 

Jayne laughed without humor. "If that were true, you woulda trusted me with this. I woulda-"

 

"You would've gone in guns blazing and gotten yourself killed." Simon thumped the table with his fist, making the dishes and Kaylee jump. "And that would've helped River _how_?!"

 

It was hard to let go of a decades-old resentment, Jayne was finding. "It- She wouldn't be thinkin' I'd forgot her if you'd a told me!" With that reminder of River, he quickly turned on her. "And you! I write you a letter every goddamned day for two years and you couldn't write me back once?!"

 

Her jaw dropped. "I never received letters from you!"

 

"Don't believe me?! Ask Mr. Jenkins at the post office 'bout how often I came in asking if I got anything, or how much money I spent on stamps, or how many times I asked about lost mail! If anybody was doin' any forgettin' here, it was you."

 

River shook her head. "No."

 

"No? Well, I guess ya wrote 'em in invisible ink and they never got to me then." Jayne stood up and slammed his chair in hard. "I'll be in my bunk."

 

"Jayne-"

 

But he ignored the captain and stormed away, not wanting anyone to see he'd broken his vow of no tears.


	10. Chapter 10

He'd been trying to sleep for a few hours when he heard his bunk open and quiet footsteps come down the ladder. Jayne knew who it was and sat up to turn on the light, revealing River at the foot of his bed.

 

"What're ya doin' here?" Jayne asked her, quietly. Since the confrontation in the mess a few days ago, they'd done a good job of avoiding each other; he'd been hoping it would stay that way until she and Simon got off on Boros. 

 

"I never forgot you," she said, hugging herself for warmth. "I had you in my head the whole time."

 

"You don't owe me an explanation," Jayne mumbled, looking away. "Government baddies hurtin' on you and you're supposed to worry about some dumbfuck back home twiddlin' his thumbs all the while? Nah, don't worry about it."

 

River looked stricken. "Jayne, no!" She sat down on the foot of the bed. "There was pain. And more pain. And darkness and fear and I called and called-!"

 

"Shhh." He reached out and took her hand. "Don't worry on it. Just don't think about it, like you said."

 

"She was put in stasis because she wasn't responding to training properly," River recited, eyes going glassy.

 

"Riv? You need me to go get Simon?" Jayne asked, not liking how disconnected she looked.

 

"She doesn't follow the prescribed cues, just calls out a name. Jayne. The individual she attempts contact with on a weekly basis, according to our records."

 

An uneasy feeling curled up inside his guts. "What are you saying, apple blossom?"

 

The endearment shook her out of her haze and sadness made her eyes go shiny with unshed tears. "They wanted me to be their weapon, to accept their mission. But I wouldn't. I just wanted Jayne."

 

"I don't understand," Jayne said, though he was starting to get an inkling. He threw the covers off and started to get up. "I'm just gonna go get your brother-"

 

Her hand shot out and she grabbed his wrist with surprising strength. "Some of it sank in but I managed to resist most of it. They cut and cut and made my brain different but I still wanted to be River. Jayne's River."

 

Jayne stared at her in horror. "They cut you?"

 

"Yes. But I only ever wanted to be River." She hung her head. "I've failed. I'm not the girl you used to know."

 

Well, he couldn't argue with that. "I ain't the boy you used to know, either. So I guess we're even."

 

"Even," River repeated, lifting her head. "I'd been missing you for a year when they froze me for being rebellious. They thought that with enough time, they could mold me into their desired image. Be the girl weapon, let Jayne go."

 

"If I'd known, I woulda gotten you out of there," Jayne growled. "All ya had to do was write me-"

 

"I did," she said, sadly. "They intercepted mail. First lose contact with friends, then gradually the family. Less suspicious that way."

 

Embarrassed, Jayne cleared his throat. "Guess I shoulda known you was in trouble if you weren't writin' to me. Shoulda known you wouldn't give up on me."

 

"I loved you," River said without condemnation. The hand around his wrist loosened its grip and slid downwards to his hand. "I still do."

 

"River," Jayne said warningly as his heartbeat nearly drowned out his words. "I ain't the way I used to be. I'm mean and bad and I'll hurt ya in the end."

 

"No." River shook her head. "You would never hurt me. You'd sooner hurt yourself."

 

"What makes you so sure?" Jayne challenged her.

 

"Because you love me too," River said, simply. She pressed her free hand over his pounding heart. "I hear it. You've been longing for your girl a long time and now she's back."

 

Jayne shut his eyes tight. "But I can't keep her."

 

"Why?" The tears in that one word made him open his eyes and his already battered heart ripped down the middle to see the hurt in her face. "Because I'm too young. Too crazy. Not your girl anymore."

 

"Past should stay in the past," Jayne said, quietly. "You deserve better'n me. I'd only let ya down."

 

"I've let you down many times already." She let go of his hand, let her other hand slide off of his chest. "I'm sorry."

 

"You got nothin' ta be sorry for, ap-"

 

"I'll return to my room. We reach Boros tomorrow and you'll never have to see me again." River got up off his bed and trudged sadly back to the ladder.

 

"Riv-"

 

"I've only ever loved you, Jayne Cobb." She smiled at him and it looked like it killed her almost as much as it did him. "It will be strange loving someone else. But if it's what you prefer, I'll do it."

 

"I just want ya to be happy," Jayne said.

 

She nodded. "I know. I wish the same for you."

 

After she left, her scent still lingered in the air and Jayne didn't sleep the rest of the night.

~*~

"I greatly appreciate what you've done for us, Captain Reynolds," Simon said to Mal, shaking his hand. "Thank you."

 

Mal nodded. "You're welcome. Aside from a rocky start, it's been nice havin' you Tams on board."

 

"Yes, I think I've found the right medication for River. She'll always have emotional scarring from whatever it was she went through but..." He trailed off and smiled at his sister with warm affection. "She'll be all right."

 

"You take care of this brother o' yours, River," Mal said, squeezing River's shoulder. 

 

"He takes so much looking after," River gently teased, making both men smile.

 

Everyone else came forward to say their individual goodbyes, all except Jayne who lurked above on the catwalk. By his figuring, he and River had said their goodbyes last night. And while he wasn't so mad at Simon anymore for the mistakes he'd made years ago, for appearances sake he still couldn't talk to him. Would look like he was going soft if he did.

 

Then she and Simon were headed down the ramp and Mal was hitting the button to close the doors and Jayne couldn't take much more. He ran back to his bunk and locked it up tight, dropping down onto his bed.

 

Something make a crinkling sound when his backside hit the sheets and he curiously got up to find out what it was. A crisp white sheet of paper along with some old, yellow looking envelopes.

 

_Jayne_ , the note read. _I found these in River's file and thought you should read them. Simon._

 

The envelopes were addressed to him, stamped but not postmarked. They were in River's handwriting. 

 

He ripped open the first letter and saw it was dated just after she would've arrived at The Academy. _Dear Jayne, Greetings from The Academy! It's so noisy and crowded here; nothing at all like our quiet little community. I've only been gone 48 hours but I miss you terribly. I'm looking forward to your letters. Love, Your Apple Blossom._

 

The next letter he picked up was several months later. " _Jayne, Please write back to me. I miss you. River._ "

 

The next was a few weeks after that. " _I dream of you nightly. You may not want me anymore but it's not a matter of want for me. I **need** you. Please send me some sign that I still matter._ "

 

Jayne couldn't read the rest. He flung them away from him and bolted up out of his bunk. "Mal!!" he shouted. "Get us back on-" When he reached the catwalk again, he paused.

 

The group was still gathered in the cargo bay and the ramp was down again.

 

"Well, go on and get her, stupid," Mal said, sounding put out.

 

Grinning, Jayne clattered down the stairs and sprinted down the ramp onto the dock area. He looked all around frantically and some distance away spotted Simon talking with another transport captain. River stood a few feet away from her brother, holding her bag with both hands, shoulders slumped in dejection.

 

"River!" he bellowed, waving his arms.

 

She looked up in shock and a beautiful smile spread across her face when she saw him running towards her. Dropping her bag, she ran to meet him halfway.

 

The crowd of people had to walk carefully around the scene they were creating when Jayne swept her up in his arms to twirl her around as she giggled happily.

 

"Look, I know we ain't the same as we used ta be," Jayne said, panting for breath. "But whaddya say we give it a try, get to know each other again? I screwed up and let you go once and I ain't gonna make the same mistake twice."

 

"That sounds like a brilliant plan!" River cupped his face in her hands and kissed him hard, nearly making him drop her in his surprise. But then he recovered from his shock and kissed her back just as hard, making her moan the way she used to.

 

A delicate cough made them split apart and they looked up to find Simon smiling at them. "I'm guessing we're going back on _Serenity_?"

 

"You guess right," Jayne said, adjusting his hold on River. "Getcher bags 'n follow me."

 

The crew greeted them with smiles when they walked back on board, Jayne leading the way with a triumphant look on his face and River in his arms. "Mal," he nodded at the captain. "Got ya a medic."

 

"We'll be needin' one of those," Mal agreed. "You interested in the job, Tam?"

 

"I am."

 

"Shiny. You know where the infirmary is." Mal turned to say something to Jayne but the merc was already halfway up the stairs. "Jayne, you two ain't gonna... already...?"

 

"Got some lost time to make up for," Jayne called over his shoulder. "See y'all in a week."

 

Mal made a face. "A _week_. He wishes. Okay, everybody, we got places ta be and people to see. Let's get this boat movin'." And he reached out and hit the button to close the door, this time for good.


	11. Epilogue

River stood on the ottoman as Ma Cobb and Kaylee made some finishing touches to the hemline of her dress. She wanted nothing more than to sway and make bell noises but the last time she'd done that, she'd earned a swat on her behind from Ma, telling her to stand still or she could just go down the aisle in the altogether. Her remark that Jayne wouldn't mind that at all had made Ma laugh however, so River knew her soon to be mother in law was not angry with her.

 

Just when River felt like she was going to scream if she couldn't move, Kaylee sat back on her heels with a satisfied sigh. "You look so pretty, River," she said wistfully. "Like you was made out o' ice cream or something."

 

"River always looks pretty," Ma said, putting the needles and thread back into her sewing kit. "Always has, always will."

 

"Yeah," Kaylee agreed, tilting her head to the side. "But there's just somethin' about wedding dresses. Makes the pretty all the prettier."

 

"I know what ya mean, honey," Ma said, kindly. "Well, shuck it off, River. Time to hang it up and go meet yer man."

 

River turned obediently so Ma could undo the little buttons running down the back. She smiled at Kaylee's excited face and said, "Maybe you and Simon will be next."

 

Kaylee grinned. "Maybe. If I can loosen him up a little more 'n convince 'im that I don't think he's a dirty old man."

 

"He's a boob," River said with a little sigh. "He will take much more work." She stepped out of her wedding dress and accepted her pink sundress back with a grateful smile to Ma.

 

Just then the front door opened and heavy footsteps came their way. "Ma? Y'all through yet?"

 

"Yes, Jayne!" River called back, happily.

 

"River, you're in yer underpants," Ma scolded her.

 

River blinked at her. "He's seen me in less."

 

Kaylee giggled into her sleeve as Ma's jaw dropped. Jayne entered the room and froze to see his intended on display. He looked shocked until a grin slowly spread across his face.

 

"Well now, apple blossom. This is a fine welcome home." His eyes roved over her body and River felt warm under his gaze. "Could get used ta this."

 

"It wasn't intended as such," River said, honestly. She pulled her dress on over her head and giggled a little at the disappointed look on his face. "I was just removing my wedding dress. It's bad luck for the groom to see it. Superstition, but Ma takes it seriously and I don't wish to worry her."

 

Ma patted her hand. "Thank you for that, darlin'. I have some sample cakes about ready to take out o' the oven once you two are ready for some tastin'."

 

"That's why I hurried home." Jayne grinned. "We got the chapel booked for week after next."

 

"Good boy." Ma motioned to Kaylee as she walked out of the room. "Gimmie a hand in the kitchen, Kaylee girl."

 

"Comin', Ma." Kaylee followed after her, giving a sly look to the couple on her way out.

 

Jayne went to River immediately and touched her face in wonder. "You like your dress?"

 

"Yes," River whispered, turning her head to nuzzle his palm. "It's very pretty. I wish I could show you."

 

"I'll see it soon enough." An excited grin made his face light up and he looked for all the world like the boy she'd grown up with.

 

Giggling, River traced his cheek with her finger. His smile went deep, down into his skull. Maybe even further. "Soon I will be Apple Blossom Cobb."

 

"Changin' your first name too?" Jayne teased her.

 

"No." River shook her head. "Only you get to call me apple blossom. Wouldn't be the same if others did it, too."

 

"It sure wouldn't," Jayne agreed. He gently gripped her by the waist and lifted her down onto the floor next to him. "How 'bout we go try some o' that cake Ma's been nice enough to bake for us."

 

"Yum," River said. "Let's eat it before the others get back from the market."

 

Jayne laughed hard, from the belly. "Looks like I've been a bad influence on you."

 

She shook her head again. "No, I've always been bratty."

 

"Ain't that the truth," Jayne said, winking. Then he raised his eyebrows at her irritated expression and took off, running and hooting as she chased after him.

 

Kaylee glanced out the kitchen window to see Jayne and River go sprinting across the back yard and sent a surprised look Ma's way. But the old woman didn't so much as look up from the frosting she was mixing.

 

"They were always carryin' on 'bout somethin' or other. They'll sort it out in a mo."

 

Sure enough, River leaped on Jayne, knocking him to the ground with the surprise attack. A smile spread across Kaylee's face as she watched Jayne roll to his back and push the hair in River's face behind her ears before giving her a sweet kiss.

 

"Whoda thunk it," she said to herself and went back to taking River and Jayne's sample wedding cake out of the oven.

THE END


End file.
